ICC World Cup 2023: Shubman Gill's Absence Due To Dengue Can Upset India's World Cup Plans

With Shubman Gill not playing India's opening World Cup match against Australia after being down with dengue, there is serious concern as to when he will be available.

Team India are scheduled to play their next two matches within a week from now and both are crucial games especially the second on October 14th.

Dengue is generally the kind of viral infection that takes from 2-7 days to recover after an incubation period of 4-10 days.

We cannot be absolutely sure where Gill is at in his recovery phase but the big question Indian fans would be pondering over is his availability for the match against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.

India do have the batting firepower on top to deal with the absence of Gill but the kind of impact that he can make in the opening slot is something special.

The Punjab player has scored two hundreds and a half century in his last four ODI matches and that speaks volumes about the effect he can have on the opposition.

It also remains to be seen if the team management bloods him in the game against Afghanistan if he is close to recovering or waits until he is absolutely 100 percent fit.

The sensible thing to do while a player is recovering from dengue is to give him ample time to get back to full fitness as it's a kind of viral fever that can cause tiredness and weakness in the recovery phase.

Gill would only be fit to workout and be in peak match fitness after he has gained enough strength recovering from the fever.

With the highly anticipated blockbuster match against Pakistan scheduled for October 14th, India has about a week to take a call on Gill's fitness.

The team management's objective should be to get Gill ready and going for the Pakistan game if he recovers fully in the next 4-5 days.

The match against Afghanistan on October 11th in Delhi would be a bit of a rush for Gill to make it.

There is no way the team management should look at risking him in that game given the magnitude of the match against Pakistan.

Gill, who plays for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, would be eagerly looking forward to being fully fit and giving his absolute best in that crunch game against Pakistan in his familiar terrain of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.